Roller leveler with removable roll units

ABSTRACT

A ROLLER LEVELER WITH FRONT AND REAR FRAMES AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF A BED MEMBER AND TOP BEAM MEMBER HAS A VERTICALLY SPACED PAIR OF ROLL UNITS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE BETWEEN THOSE MEMBERS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH SUPPORTS BETWEEN IT AND THE ADJACENT ROLL UNIT A PLURALITY OF SPACED ROOL-DEFLECTING MEANS. THE ROLL UNIT IS MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE HOUSING AND DEFLECTING MEANS, BUT RELEASABLE MEANS ARE PROVIDED THAT NORMALLY PREVENT THAT MOVEMENT. WHEN RELEASED, THE ROLL UNIT CAN BE SLID LENGTHWISE OUT OF THE HOUSING WITHOUT DISTURBING THE DEFLECTING MEANS.

ROLLER LEVELER WITH REMOVABLE ROLL UNITS Filed Oct. 27, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet I INVEN'IURS ELBERT G.THOMPSON MAX F. ALTERS 147' TORNEVS Nov. 30, 1971 THQMPSON EIAL 3,623,348

ROLLER LEVELER WITH REMOVABLE ROLL UNITS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 27, 1969 INVENTORS ELBERT G. THOMPSON MAX F. ALTERS BY ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 30, 1971 THOMPSON ETAL 3,623,348

ROLLER LEVELER WITH REMOVABLE ROLL UNITS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 27, 1969 INVIEN'IURS ELBERT G. THOMPSON MAX F. ALTERS United States Patent O 3,623,348 ROLLER LEVELER WITH REMOVABLE ROLL UNITS Elbert Gordon Thompson, State College, and Max F.

Alters, Pleasant Gap, Pa., assignors to Sutton Engineering Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed Oct. 27, 1969, Ser. No. 869,603 Int. Cl. B21d 1/02; 1521b 31/08 US. Cl. 72-165 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roller leveler with front and rear frames at the opposite ends of a bed member and top beam member has a vertically spaced pair of roll units extending length- Wise between those members, at least one of which supports between it and the adjacent roll unit a plurality of spaced roll-deflecting means. The roll unit is mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the housing and deflecting means, but releasable means are provided that normally prevent that movement. When released, the roll unit can be slid lengthwise out of the housing without disturbing the deflecting means.

Due to wear, the work rolls of a roller leveler and the rolls associated with them have to be changed occasionally to assure good quality of the leveled sheet and strip material. It may also be necessary to change the rolls in order to level products that have a special finish, or different diameter work rolls may be substituted in order to extend the gauge range of the product passed through the leveler. Attempts have been made heretofore to provide for quick change of rolls, but the construction of the levelers has been such that it has been necessary to remove with the rolls the roll deflecting apparatus. This has required the deflecting apparatus to be disconnected from their driving motors and also has required considerable accuracy during reassembly in lining up the deflecting apparatus with their drives. Due to the time and labor required by all of this, it has been quite expensive to replace the rolls and it has required so much time to do it that the line has had to be shut down, which is highly undesirable in such cases as heat-treat lines and paint lines that should not be stopped.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a roller leveler in which the rolls can be quickly and easily replaced, and in which it is unnecessary to disconnect the roll-deflecting apparatus from the driving motors therefor.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front end view of our roller leveler;

FIG. 2 is a view of the right-hand side;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross section taken generally on the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a still further enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view from the righthand side of the leveler, with the end frames omitted and with parts broken away in section; and

FIG 6 is an exploded view of part of the roll deflecting apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, a pair of front and rear end frames 1 and 2 of a roller leveler housing are connected by a long bed member 3. The upper ends of the end frames are connected by a top beam 4 that can be adjusted up and down by screw downs 5 at the corners of the housing. In the entry half of the housing, which is at the right-hand side as viewed from the front, there is a pair of vertically spaced roll units 6 and 7 that extend lengthwise of the housing between its bed and the top beam. In the exit half of the housing there is another pair of vertically spaced roll units 8 and 9, although this pair is not always required.

Referring to the first pair of roll units, the upper unit 6 includes several Work rolls 11, the ends of which are journalled in bearing blocks 12 that are held in retaining blocks 13 by vertical screws 14. These rolls can be turned by the product pulled through the leveler, or they can be driven from their rear ends by suitable driving means (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the tops of the two retainers are provided with laterally projecting tongues 15 which are supported by gibs 16 bolted to cross members 17 that in turn are fastened to the top beam. Intermediate rolls 18 may be provided which rest on the work rolls. Their ends engage thrust rollers 19 supported on vertical axes by brackets 20 bolted across the inner faces of the retainers.

A plurality of groups of back-up rolls 22 rest on the intermediate rolls, unless the latter are omitted, in which case the back-up rolls rest directly on the work rolls. Each group of back-up rolls is mounted in a bearing support 23, the top of which has laterally projecting tongues 24 (FIG. 3) projecting into grooves 25 in track bars 26 that extend lengthwise of the housing between cross members 17 and are secured to the bottom of the top beam, so the bearing block retainers and the back-up roll supports are all hung from the top beam. The grooves 25 line up with the grooves formed by the front and rear gibs 16. The outer sides of the roll supported bear against vertical thrust plates 27 fastened to the side of the top beam and extending below it.

It is a feature of this invention that the front and rear bearing block retainers 13 and the back-up roll supports 23 are tied together to form the unit 6 by means of an elongated member secured to them and extending lengthwise of the housing. Preferably, this member is a carrying plate 30 that extends through a central slot 31 in the top of each retainer and aligned slots 32 in the tops of roll supports 23. The plate is fastened to the tops of the retainers by screws 33 shown in FIG. 5, and to the roll supports by screws 34. The roll unit just described can be held in operating position in the housing in a simple manner by bolts 35 extending up through the projecting ends of the carrying plate into cross members 17, or by clamping the gibs tightly against the tongues on the bearing block retainers, or by both. Whatever the fastening means used, when they are released the entire roll unit can be slid bodily lengthwise out of the housing through front end frame 1, due to the tongue and groove connections between the roll unit and the housing, and onto a suitable support by which the unit can be carried away from the housing. By reversing the process, a roll unit can be quickly slid into the housing and quickly fastened in place.

The lower roll unit 7 is, in general, the same as the upper unit. The bearing blocks 39 for the work rolls 40, however, are pivoted on horizontal pins 41 anchored in tilt blocks 42 fastened in retainers 43, so that the bearings can tilt slightly if the work rolls are deflected vertically out of a straight line. The bottoms of the retainers have laterally projecting tongues 44 that project into grooves formed by gibs 45 bolted to base blocks 46 secured to the top of the bed of the housing. When a group of intermediate rolls 47 are used, their ends engage thrust rollers 48 supported on vertical axes by brackets 49 extending across the inner faces of the retainers and secured thereto.

Engaging the intermediate rolls are back-up rolls 50 that are journalled in supports 51 like those in the upper roll unit. They engage vertical thrust plates 52 secured to the side of the housing bed and projecting above it. These lower roll supports are intended to be adjusted vertically to permit the work rolls to be deflected when necessary in order to properly process the strip or sheet passing through the leveler. For this purpose, each backup roll support is mounted on deflecting means or apparatus. Each deflector includes a rocker block 53 provided at the top with grooves 54 extending lengthwise of the housing that receive laterally projecting tongues 55 on the bottom of the overlying roll support. In its lowest position, the rocker block may rest flat on the bed of the machine. It [is urged toward this position by gravity and by lugs 56 projecting into slots 57 in the sides of the block. The lugs are integral portions of cup-like members 58, through which extends studs 59 that are threaded in the housing bed. A coil spring 60 on each stud is compressed between its head and the bottom of the cup to press the cup downwardly.

Each rocker block 53 is provided in its bottom with a concave recess 62 that extends transversely across it. Fitting in this recess is a convex wedge block 63 (FIG. 6) provided with a longitudinal wedge slot 64 that is open at the bottom. The upper wall of the slot is flat and inclined from end to end. A wedge 65 is disposed in the slot and bears against the inclined wall and the underlying housing bed. The outer end of the wedge block overlaps the side of the housing bed slightly, as shown in FIG. 5, and also engages a thrust plate 52 to prevent endwise movement of the block.

Threads in each wedge is a screw 66, the outer end of which extends through the thrust plate as shown in FIG. 3 and is provided with a collar 67 rotatably mounted in a bearing 68 fastened to the thrust plate to prevent movement of the screw lengthwise. The screw can be turned when desired by an electric motor 69 geared to it and supported by a bracket 70 projecting from the thrust plate. When the wedge is driven inwardly by the screw, it will raise the wedge block and the rocker block above it in order to lift the back-up roll support 51 and thereby flex the work rolls upwardly at that point in a well-known manner;

In order to complete roll unit 7, an elongated member ties retainers 43 and roll supports 51 together. Here against this member preferably is a carrying plate 72 that extends through downwardly opening slots 73 and 74 in the bottoms of the retainers and roll supports, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the ends of the carrying plate are connected to the retainers by vertical studs 75 screwed into the retainers and slidable vertically in the plate. Similar studs 76 connect the plate to the roll supports. There is some vertical clearance between the plate and the heads of the studs in order to prevent the plate from interfering with vertical adjustment of the back-up roll supports. The studs, sliding in the plate, permit the adjustments without being restrained by the plate.

Lower roll unit 7 can be held at operating position in the same way as upper unit 6, by bolts 78 extending down through the projecting ends of the plate into the front and rear base blocks 46, or gibs 45 can be tightened down on tongues 44 to clamp the unit in place, or both systems can be used. In any event, the unit can be released quickly and moved lengthwise out of the front of the housing onto a suitable support, by which it can be carried away. It will be seen that the tongue and groove connections of the unit with the housing and the rolldeflecting apparatus permit quick and easy removal of the unit without disturbing the roll deflectors in any way. Consequently, it is unnecessary to disconnect them from their driving motors 69, and a great deal of time is saved.

Although the roll deflectors have been shown and described as being located only beneath the lower roll unit 7, it will be understood that like deflectors can also be used with the upper roll unit 6 or only with that unit. In such cases the adjustable deflecting apparatus would be inverted and suspended from the top beam 4 of the housing, and the tongues 15 on the work roll supports would extend into grooves in the bottoms of the inverted deflector rocker blocks. The tongue and groove connection would allow the upper unit to be removed lengthwise from the housing without disturbing the roll-deflecting apparatus.

The other pair of roll units 8 and 9' shown herein likewise have tongue and groove connections with the housing so that they too can be slid lengthwise out of the front of the housing when desired. 'No roll-deflecting means are used with either of these last-mentioned roll units.

By constructing a roller leveler in accordance with this invention, a great deal of time and labor can be saved in making roll changes. The changes can be made rapidly enough to avoid having to shut down the production line while they are being accomplished. The benefits are obvious.

We claim:

1. A roller leveler comprising a housing having front and rear frames at the opposite ends of a bed member and top beam member that are spaced vertically from each other, a vertically spaced pair of roll units extending lengthwise between said bed and beam members, each roll unit being independent of the other and including a plurality of rolls, a plurality of spaced roll-deflecting means supported by one of said members between it and the adjacent roll unit, means mounting said adjacent roll unit for longitudinal movement relative to said housing and deflecting means, and releasable means normally preventing said movement, said adjacent roll unit being slidable lengthwise out of the housing without disturbing said deflecting means when said releasable means are released.

2. A roller leveler according to claim 1, in which said mounting means include sliding tongue and groove connections with said housing and deflecting means, said tongues ad grooves extending lengthwise of the housing.

3. A roller leveler according to claim 1, in which said mounting means include laterally projecting tongues on said adjacent unit, and said deflecting means are provided with grooves receiving said tongues.

4. A roller leveler according to claim 1, in which said adjacent roll unit end bearing members, work roll journalled in said members, a back-up roll support between each roll-deflecting means and the work rolls, back-up rolls journalled in said support, and means tying said end bearing members and back-up rolls supports together.

5. A roller leveler according to claim 4, in which said tying means include an elongated member extending lengthwise of said rolls, and means connecting said elongated member to said bearing member and roll supports.

6. A roller leveler according to claim 5, in which said elongated member is a long plate and said back-up roll supports are provided with slot receiving said plate, and studs extend through the plate and are anchored in said supports, the studs being movable vertically in the plate to permit vertical movement of said supports relative to it.

7. A roller leveler according to claim 1, in which each of said deflecting means includes a vertically movable rocker block provided with a concave recess extending transversely thereof and pening toward said one housing member, a convex wedge block fitting in said recess and having a longitudinal slot therein open at the side adjacent said one member, the opposite side of the slot having an inclined wall, a wedge disposed in said slot and bearing against said one housing member and wall, and means for moving the wedge lengthwise of the slot to adjust the wedge block and rocker block vertically.

8. A roller leveler according to claim 7, including resilient means urging said rocker blocks toward said one housing member.

9. A roller leveler according to claim 7, in which said roll unit includes work rolls and back-up rolls and a back-up roll support mounted between each rocker block and the work rolls and provided with laterally projecting tongues, and each rocker block is provided with grooves receiving the tongues of the adjoining roll support.

19. A roller leveler according to claim 9, in which said roll supports are provided with longitudinal slots therein, a plate extends through said slots, and fastening means connect the plate to said supports.

11. A roller level according to claim 1, including means mounting the other of said roll units for longitudinal movement relative to said housing and said adjacent unit, and releasable means normally preventing said movement, said other roll unit being slidable lengthwise out of the housing when said last-mentioned releasable means are released.

12. A roller leveler according to claim 11, in which said last-mentioned mounting means include a tongue and groove connection with said housing that extends lengthwise of the housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MILTON S. MEI-1R, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

